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Published on December 9, 2015

NHS Citizen: Looking back on the Citizens’ Assembly

Sophie is Project Support Officer at Involve, working principally on NHS Citizen. She believes that all citizens should be able to play an active role in the decisions and processes that affect them.

On Wednesday 25th November the first official NHS Citizens’ Assembly took place at the ExCel Centre in London. This national Assembly brought together over 250 citizens with the Board of NHS England and senior NHS staff to discuss and look for solutions to 5 issues affecting healthcare in England. These issues were:

Preventing premature deaths

Comprehensive psychosocial approaches to mental health

Improving health outcomes for looked-after children and young people

Support for people with dementia post-diagnosis

Transparency in Clinical Commissioning Group decision making

Each of the issues had been raised by a member of the public, discussed by other members of the public interested in the issue and then prioritised for consideration by a Citizens’ Jury through a public vote.

The Assembly was a lively and productive day. In workshops on each of the 5 issues participants discussed what the situation was now, mapped what better would look like in 2020 and suggested what needed to happen to get there. The conversations were captured in graphic records, available to view on the NHS Citizen website.

Members of the Board and senior NHS England staff joined the discussions and committed to listen and act on what they had heard. As Malcolm Grant, Chairman of NHS England, stated “what today has done for the Board is to bring us, with you, face-to-face with the lived experience of the NHS”.

And the Assembly demonstrated how diverse the lived of experience of the NHS really is. Healthcare professionals, people with physical and learning disabilities, young people, retired people, community groups, faith groups and women’s networks were all present, united by an enthusiasm for the NHS and strong desire to make it better.

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Involve is a charity and think tank established in 2003 to improve the quality of democracy between elections. We want to build a democracy that works for everyone – that gives people real power to effect change in their lives, communities and beyond. More about Involve »